Reference
Painting Techniques Glossary
The technical vocabulary behind Renaissance and Baroque painting — how chiaroscuro, sfumato, impasto, and glazing actually work, with real examples from the collection.
Chiaroscuro
From the Italian for "light-dark" — the use of strong contrast between light and shadow to model form and create drama, most associated with Caravaggio and his followers.
8 paintings
Etching
A printmaking technique in which an artist scratches a design through a protective wax coating on a metal plate, then bathes the plate in acid so it bites the exposed lines into the metal, producing a printable image.
8 paintings
Engraving
A printmaking technique in which lines are cut directly into a metal plate with a sharp tool called a burin, producing precise, controlled grooves that hold ink for printing.
8 paintings
Watercolor
Paint made from pigment suspended in a water-soluble binder (usually gum arabic), applied in thin, translucent washes that let the white of the paper show through rather than relying on opaque white paint for highlights.
6 paintings